Buckie VC Holder to be Honoured as Part of WWI Commemoration

Buckie is to receive a uniquely-carved paving stone commemorating the awarding of the Victoria Cross to local man George McIntosh during the First World War.

The scheme is part of the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the war and will see 44 towns across the country receive a paving stone honouring their local Victoria Cross holders. The paving stone and its design was selected as part of a competition organised last year to find an appropriate way to mark the occasion and to honour VC holders.

Commenting, Buckie MSP Stewart Stevenson said:

“In common with many other nations, Scotland suffered terrible losses during the Great War.

“In this, the year of the centenary of the outbreak of the war, it is right that we remember those who made the supreme sacrifice or showed heroism to help their comrades, not least because, very often, these people were given no choice but to enlist for war service.

“It is fitting that Buckie’s VC holder will be honoured by the town in this way.”

Moray MP Angus Robertson said:

"The Victoria Cross is the highest award for valour that a member of the armed forces or a civilian under military command can be given and the recipients of a VC should rightly be honoured for their actions.

"VC recipients like Buckie's George McIntosh invariably carried out an action under extreme duress that has saved lives and contributed to a critical success in the heat of battle.

"It is right and proper that people like Flight Sergeant McIntosh get significant recognition and these memorial slabs will be an important mark of respect from the communities that the recipients hail from. With many VCs being awarded during the First World War, the centenary of that conflict seems like a fitting time for this recognition to be made."